Home > Featured > What the ‘Santa Clausification’ of Martin Luther King, Jr. Leaves Out | theintercept.com

What the ‘Santa Clausification’ of Martin Luther King, Jr. Leaves Out | theintercept.com

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. is celebrated annually on a federal holiday on the third Monday of January. Politicians across the political spectrum put out statements praising his life’s work, and children in classrooms across America are told the tale of a man who stood up defiantly against racism and helped changed civil rights law. But what they don’t mention is that King was not just a fighter for racial justice, he also fought for economic justice and against war. And as a result, he spent th